| Putting The Pieces Together | |
| Special Note: Permission was received from Guy Snyder, Michigan Construction News in posting the following article on our website of a grant received from the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service to the West Michigan Construction Alliance.
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| Our friend Ed Haynor, consultant to the West Michigan Construction Alliance, is mighty pleased about it winning a major grant from the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service. Extending up to 18 months it will provide funding for a number of initiatives which seek to improve the efficiency and productivity of Michigan’s organized construction industry.
Over the weekend he sent us a summary of the grant’s goals and objectives. Extensive in nature, they were developed with the aid of an employee enhancement training survey conducted by the alliance, in accordance with its strategic plan. What we found striking is the WMCA’s push for raising the education and skill levels of both its members as well as skilled trades workers. They’re directed at improving customer relationships and marketing within Michigan’s organized construction industry. This can be extremely tough territory. The alliance’s move into it is pretty bold. A number of skills clinics are contemplated. Expect to see announcements about them in forthcoming editions of this web site. They’ll be covering such topics as customer presentations, supervisory and foremanship training, labor and management goals, and the use of web and Internet based technology. Underlying this approach is the idea that improving communications and encouraging innovation will pay off in increased efficiency, productivity, and project owner retention. Not to forget the Holy Grail — greatly improved market share. We’ve been advocating such objectives for years. Clearly the alliance is moving down the right highway. Unfortunately the pavement before it is rough and nearly ruined. You can bring adults into a workshop. You can discuss communication and marketing skills with them. It’s not rocket science. But, just as in teaching basic carpentry to this writer, it’s not fair to expect them to master such skills in one afternoon. We wouldn’t be able to cut a straight line in wood after one session and probably never will. Under the same circumstances they won’t be able to craft an award winning Powerpoint for client presentation. It’s not that easy. Not to discourage the alliance but the profound skill improvement our industry needs is going to take much longer. For this reason alone — once initial success is achieved — the skill clinics must be turned into a continuous process extending toward infinity. If it’s not lessons will too soon be forgotten, as people retire and shuffle off stage. When it comes to market share development for Michigan’s organized construction industry this has been the biggest problem. Market retention and advancement programs, once launched, are too soon abandoned. They’re never turned into the extremely long range — if not permanent — efforts that are sorely needed. When Michigan’s construction industry contracts due to economic recession, such programs collapse. After the market recovers, if and when someone gets around to it, they’re rebuilt from scratch. Then Michigan’s economy tanks again. Out comes the budget axe. Market development programs, and everything else deemed “non-essential,” are reduced to kindling. Later, new people pick up whatever fragments are left behind. With the best of intentions, but often with little clue as to a proper direction, they try to glue things back. It’s a vicious cycle and many in our industry are familiar with it. It eats at the roots of organized construction, preventing solid and retainable growth. Anything the WMCA develops that can address it will be of great value. We wish it well and look forward to its solutions. October 3, 2006 -30- |
